Seed-dropper.



No. 699,200. Y, Patented may 6,v |902.

- s. A. Lomua.

SEED DROPPE'B.

(Application-med Aug. 1s, 1900.) (lilo/Model.) 2 Svheetsf8heet I.

'"0. 699,200. Filtern-ted Mayv', |902. S. A. 'LH|NG.

' SEED DBOPPER. (Apppatinn med Aug. 1s, 1900. (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet2.

" uff..

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

,-,sI-MEON ALONZO LORING, OF KENTLAND, INDIANA.

SEED-DROPPEE( SPECIFICATION forming parf' Letters Patent Naeeaeoo, datedMay 6, 1902- Appi'imfioiriet Angustia,ieoof'sai No. A27311. (No miel.)

Be it known that I, SIMEON ALONZO LORING, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Kentland, in the county of Newton and State ofIndiana, have invented a Combined Apportionate Seed-Drop, of which thefollowing 'is a specification.

ed in the hills according to the quality off-the soil, so that theplanter may be causedto drop a greater number of seeds-inlthe Ahillsjnthe richer portion ofia yfieldthaninthe'hillsr in the poorer portionthereof to secure a crop' equal to the full capacity ofv the'soil." .A

y A further object 1of 4myv-invention is to ef-, f'ect improvementsinthe constructi'onof-'theI revoluble seed-disk,.so ,that the same lisrendered interchangeable at will.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of aseed-dropping'me'chanism embodying ,my improvements, showing the `valvewhich coacts with the secondary 'seed-openings-opfen in-'full lines andclosed in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional perspective viewtaken on a plane intersecting the lbottom ofthe hopper and the revolu`ble seed-disk'. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on a planeindicated by the line aa. of Fig. 1. Fig. Liis a similar view taken on aplane indicated by the line b b of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a top plan viewshowing means for shifting the valves for the secondary seed- Openings.

The base-plate 1, which supports the seedboX or hopper 2, is provided onits upper side with afcentral1y-disposed circular boss 3, 'on the rearside of which is an opening 4, through which the" seeds are dropped intothe 'usual seed-spout.' The saidibas'e-plate'is'provided at itscornerswith flanges 5 to engage the corners of the hopper or seedbox andis provided at its front and rear sides with lugs 6, which bear againstthe front and rear sides of the seedbox on the outer sides thereof, the

seedbox being secured to the said lugs' 6 by suitable bolt'sf, asshownj4The boss 3 has` 'on its upper side a centralV vertical projection 8, onwhich is fitted a removable disk 9, which forms a spacing-disk, whichdisk bears on the boss 3, has a notch 10 in'its rear side that iscoincident with the front end of the opening 4, and said space-disk isprovided on its lower side with dowels 11, which enter openings 12 inthe-boss 3,' thereby securing said space-disk against rotation on thesaid boss. The diameter of the space-disk is consider.- ably less thanthat ofthe boss. A gear-ring 13 is revoluble onlthe boss 3, having aninwardly-extendingiiange 14, which bears on the upper side of said boss,and a downwardlyextending flange 15, provided with crown- .teeth 16. Thesaid crown-teethare engaged by theusual pinion (not hereshOWn) of thepower mechanism of the planter to rotate the said'gearJ-ringwhen theplanter is in operation. The seed-disk 17 is fitted in and detachablefrom the'gear-ring. bears on the space-disk and is provided with a Thesaid seed-disk pair of peripheral studs 18,which enter notches 19 in theflange 14 of the gear-ring, whereby the saidseed-disk' iscaused'torotate with the said gear-rin g. The said seed-disk is providedwith a'series of primary'seedopenings 20, of which there are 'anysuitable number and which primary seed-openings may be of any suitablesize to contain as many grains of corn as are suitable for plantinginafhill in soil of ordinary quality as to richness. The said primary'seed-openings are concentric with the axis of said seed-disk. Thelatter is further provided with a concentric series of secondaryseed-openings 21,which aline radially with the primary seed-openings andare here shown I.

as disposed between said primary seed-openings and the center of thesaid disk. The said secondary seed-openings are each of any suit- IOOmary and secondary seed-openings pass over and register With the opening4 in the bottom plate l in succession.

The seedbox or hopper is provided with a removable bottom plate 22,which has a centrally-disposed segmental opening 23, which is concentricwith the axis of the seed-disk and uncovers a number of the primaryseedopenings thereof. At one end of the said segmental opening, which Iwill term the rear end thereof, the same is widened, as at 24, touncover one of the secondary seed-openings or, in other Words, touncover each of the secondary seed-openings in succession as theseed-disk rotates. A valve 25 bears on the said seed-disk and isdisposed in the said widened portion of the said opening 23. The saidvalve is pivoted on the center of the bottom plate 22 by a bolt 26,which engages a threaded opening in the projection S of the boss 3. Thesaid valve is adapted to be moved by a link 27, which passes through anopening on the inner side Wall of the seedbox or hopper. When the saidvalve is in the position shown in full lines in Fig. l, the secondaryopenings will be uncovered successively thereby and Will become filledwith grains of corn to be discharged, together with the grains whichfill the primary seedopenings, and when thus disposed the secondary asWell as the primary seed openings are effective. When the said valve ismoved to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l, it closes thesecondary openings and renders the same ineective, seeds being droppedthen from the hopper only by the primary seed-openings of the seed-disk.

I provide a spring-pressed cut-off 28, which bears on the seed-disk atthe rear end of the segmental opening 23 and under which cutoff theprimary seed-openings of the revoluble seed-disk pass in succession, andI also provide a similaisecondary cut-off 29, which bears on theseed-disk and under which the secondary seed-openings successively pass.It will be understood by an inspection of Fig. l of the drawings thatall of the secondary seed-openings are covered by the central portion ofthe bottom plate 23 and the cut-off 29, save one, and that the saidsingle secondary seed-opening may be covered or uncovered by the valve25. It will be further understood that the primary seed-openings areeffective under all conditions while the seeddisk is in rotation andthat the secondary seed-openings are effective only When uncovered bythe valve. The primary seed-openings drop the normal number of seeds inthe hills, and when planting in soil of ordinary quality, as in theuplands, the secondary seedopenings are not brought into requisition andthe valve remains closed. In planting in 10W lands and in portions of afield which are richer than other portions thereof the secondaryseed-openings are also brought into requisition by opening the valve 25,hence causing the secondary seedopenings to operate simultaneously withthe primary seedopenings to drop and increase the number of grains ofcorn in each hill in the richer land, Where the soil is capable ofmaturing a heavier crop than in the poorer portions of the field. Henceby the use of my invention the number of seeds planted in the hills maybe varied according to the varying conditions in the quality of the soilin different portions of a field.

In the rear side of the bottom plate 22 of the seedbox or hopper is aspring-depressed plunger 30, which successively registers with theprimary seed-openings of the seed-disk as each of said openingsregisters with the opening 4 in the base-plate, the function of saidplunger, as will be understood, being to descend in the seed-openings insuccession as the same pass over the opening 4 to cause the seeds to bedropped from the said seed-openings.

In Fig. 5 of the drawings I show a portion' of the frame of acorn-planting machine of ordinary construction providedwith a pair of myimproved seed-droppin g mechanisms and l shovvr a hand-lever a, which isconnected to the links 27 of the valve 25 by a bar b. By this means thesaid valves of the said seed mechanisms may be readily set by theoperator to bring the secondary seed -openings into requisition or tocut off the same from operation as the machine approaches rich or poorportions of a field.

I do not desire to limit myself to the pre'- cise construction andcombination of devices hereinbefore shown and described, as it isevident that modifications may be made therein Without departing fromthe spirit of my invention. l

Having thus described my invention, I claim-- 1. The combination of aseed-droppin g ele'- ment having a primary and a secondary seedopening,with means to open and close said secondary feed-opening to render thesame effective or ineffective at will, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a revolubleseeddroppingelementhavingaprimaryseed-opening and a secondaryseed-opening at different distances from the center thereof, and meansto cover and uncover said secondary seed opening at Will, substantiallyas described.

3. The combination of a revoluble seeddropping element having primaryand secondary seed-openings and means to cover and uncover saidsecondary seed-openings to render the same effective or ineffective atwill, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a revoluble seeddropping element having primaryand secondary seed-openings, a cut-off for said primary and secondaryseed-openings and a valve to cover and uncover said secondaryseed-openings to render the same effective or ineffective at Will,substantially as described.

5. The combination of a ring-gear, a seed- IOO tij

6. The combination of a revoluble seeddropping element having a primaryseedlo opening and a secondary seed=opening at different distances fromthe center thereof, a eut-off, a valve, pivotally mounted on the centerof said seed-dropping element, and means to operate said valve, to coveror uncover said secondary seed-opening at will, substantially 15 Yasdescribed.

SIMEON ALONZO LORING.

Witnesses: y WILLIS KIRKPATRICK, WHITE S. HARBISON.

